48forty Reduces Reuses and Recycles Pallets

Buying wooden pallets is an integral part of 48forty’s business. Here's why.

We buy wooden pallets.

48forty buys pallets from retail, agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial customers with multiple locations across the United States. We buy pallets from smaller companies with single locations. You got pallets, we’ll buy them.

Buying wooden pallets is an integral part of 48forty’s business. What some people consider trash destined for a landfill, we view as an important resource; one that reduces our nation’s dependence on forestry products. Wooden pallets can be reused many times over, and once past its primary purpose, a wooden pallet can be recycled into other valuable products. The way we see it, there’s no reason any wooden pallet should end up in a landfill.

Waste reduction is a growing concern for all of us. As a nation, we’re running out of landfill space. Sending waste to landfills is expensive, driving up the cost of doing business. Practicing the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – helps businesses move away from waste creation to waste prevention. Here’s how 48forty puts the three R’s into practice, which in turn helps our customers achieve a higher level of sustainability:

Reduce. Using recycled wooden pallets reduces our reliance on virgin lumber and reduces the pressure on the nation’s forests. With proper maintenance, the typical wooden pallet can be used up to 9 times. In other words, one recycled pallet does the work of 9 new pallets, reducing the demand for lumber. That’s a pretty compelling argument for recycled pallets.

Reuse. Even at the end of a wooden pallet’s life cycle, its parts – the stringers, deck boards and blocks – can be reused. Each 48forty facility has a team of people who sort through old pallets to harvest individual boards and blocks that can be reused to repair newer pallets. In fact, some of our facilities reuse undamaged wood to build new pallets. That’s resourceful and reduces scrap.

Recycle. Any pallets, scrap wood, and even nails that can’t be reused are often recycled by 48forty facilities. Committing to recycling is a commitment to avoid landfills.

We're glad to be a part of your sustainable supply chain. Contact us today and we'll be in touch.